The Office of Energy and Climate Change (OECC), which is a part of the NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, delivers the Energy Accounts Payment Assistance (EAPA) scheme.

Service NSW is collecting your personal information as part of exercising certain customer service functions of the OECC for the EAPA scheme. The information you provide in your EAPA application is collected and stored by Service NSW, and transferred to the OECC.

This Privacy Notice describes how OECC will deal with the personal information it receives from Service NSW about your EAPA application.

OECC has obligations under the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 in managing your personal information. Any queries or complaints regarding privacy are handled by DPE’s Information Access & Privacy unit on behalf of NSW Treasury. This Privacy Statement should be read together with DPE's Privacy Management Plan.

What personal information does OECC collect?

OECC collects relevant personal information that you provide in your EAPA application to assess your eligibility for EAPA. This information could include: 

  • your personal details (name, address, contact details)
  • your energy account and bills details, and
  • details of your current short-term financial crisis and/or emergency.

When you make an application for EAPA, you may have to provide the personal information of other people, such as family members, your partner or people living in your household. Before you provide this information, you must obtain their consent.

Why is my personal information being collected? 

OECC is collecting your personal information to administer, evaluate and audit the EAPA Scheme. OECC will only use personal information it has collected in a way that is consistent with these purposes.  

Will my personal information be shared with anyone?

OECC may share some of your details with other EAPA providers, your energy retailer, other government agencies such as Service NSW or third-party audit service providers. Otherwise, OECC won’t share your personal information unless you have given consent or to meet a requirement under law.. 

Is it compulsory to provide my personal information? 

Applying for EAPA is voluntary, but some information is mandatory to process your application. If you choose not to provide the required information, you may not be eligible for EAPA.. 

How is my information be stored?

OECC uses a third-party system called Microsoft Azure to collect and store your personal information.

Can I access or update my information?

You have the right to access, or request updates to, the personal information that the NSW Government holds about you.

Whom do I contact to get more information?

If you would like to update or amend your information, or if you would like more information about privacy or the EAPA Scheme, you can contact:

Energy Social Programs—EAPA
Office of Energy and Climate Change
Postal address: PO Box 435 Parramatta NSW 2124 
Email: eapa.info@planning.nsw.gov.au
Website: https://www.energy.nsw.gov.au/privacy 

Last updated: 17 January 2024